Both
by Verthanthi
Summary: Bubblegum accidentally gets caught staring at Marceline. M/PB Drabble AU
1. I

A/N: Inspired by THIS post by rayasymanchas. This story takes place before it.

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The evening was cooling quickly and standing out in it was not Bubblegum's favorite idea. Sleep called to her, inviting her home for a good night's rest, but for now she had to endure the fading daylight while waiting for her ride. Her gaze drifted across the college building's parking lot, staring into nowhere.

"Are you ogling me or the bike?"

The question snapped Bubblegum out of her reverie. A blush warmed her cheeks as the pieces of the situation at hand started to fit together. She'd been accidentally staring at, well _past_, this woman on her motorcycle.

The woman, still seated, tilted her head expectantly and braced her hand on one knee. She raised her eyebrows and hitched a shoulder as if saying, "Well...?"

Bubblegum regained her composure quickly. "The bike," she said, "It's beautiful." She did take a moment now to admire it. It was a gorgeous, deep red with a well-polished shine, all sleek and shimmery, sporty. Bubblegum had always secretly wanted a motorcycle but had far too little time and far too many responsibilities to enjoy one.

The woman seemed surprised by the answer, maybe momentarily disappointed, and then threw her head back in a short laugh. Bubblegum caught a glimpse of her teeth, so white, and noticed that her canines were a tad sharp looking. It was kind of cute. "Throw me a bone," the woman muttered with humor purposely just loud enough for Bubblegum to hear. There was a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

And so Bubblegum did, silently. The owner of the bike was indeed beautiful, and, if Bubblegum was the type, well worth ogling. Her thick black hair was long, all the way to her waist and Bubblegum wondered, surprising herself, what it might feel like. It dawned on her then, that she recognized this woman from class. If not for the fact that they had shared a brief, mandatory in-class, project, she probably wouldn't ever have realized. She didn't tend to make friends in class and she wasn't very good with names.

Awkwardly, the woman said suddenly, "It's cold," as though she might be trying to start up a conversation.

"So it is," Bubblegum replied too quickly, feeling as though she needed to say _something_ in return.

"No-" the woman paused, shifting the weight of her bike onto the other foot. "I mean... It's too cold to be out here. Do you need a ride?"

Bubblegum couldn't help herself, polite manners aside, she said with light condescension, "On a motorcycle? Wouldn't that be colder than just standing here?"

Instead of being offended, the woman shrugged and flashed her canines at Bubblegum again in a smile. Why did she find that so attractive? "You'd be out of the cold faster, depending on how late your ride is…" she said first, and then added as an afterthought, "I'm Marceline, by the way."

Bubblegum nodded, remembering that too now that she'd heard it again, and offered her own, "Bonnibel." Marceline seemed to smirk as though she already knew. Maybe she was better with names… There was something about each of Marceline's smiles, though, the way she laughed even, that caused Bubblegum's heart to flutter. She pondered at the realization that she didn't mind looking at the woman and her bike. They looked really good together; they probably looked really good apart.

While Marceline wasn't a _complete_ stranger, Bubblegum wouldn't normally accept a ride from a woman whose name she couldn't even remember. Today, however, she was cold, getting colder, and the thrill of being able to ride a motorcycle spontaneously with this beautiful woman was starting to outweigh the general, albeit well-grounded, concerns she had. She checked her watch, her ride was 20 minutes late already… Peppermint would probably be here any minute…

As usual, reason was victorious over irresponsible spontaneity. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline today," she finally answered, sounding a bit disappointed. Marceline seemed to notice.

"Ah, well," she replied, reaching for her helmet, "That's fine. I didn't think you'd accept, anyway, really." Bubblegum caught herself admiring the motorcycle jacket Marceline wore. Or, perhaps it was way Marceline looked in the jacket. She couldn't really say.

As Marceline tugged the full-faced helmet on, pulling it perfectly into place, Bubblegum reached out absently, meaning to stop her. "Hey-" she called as the woman made to turn away.

Marceline looked back over her shoulder and slid the visor up. "Mm?"

Pulling her hand back, clenching her fingers a bit, Bubblegum let a smirk play at her lips. "The answer to your first question," she said coyly, "I lied." She watched Marceline's eyebrows draw together in confusion. "The answer was… is:" she paused, unable to hide her shy grin, and looked away from Marceline. With courage she met the woman's eyes again and said, "Both."

Bubblegum could see the grin in Marceline's eyes, the rest of her expression covered by the helmet, and knew she would take the ride next time it was offered.

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A/N: I don't usually do AUs but I do love motorcycles...

Thanks for reading!


	2. II

A/N: The artist I was originally inspired by drew another picture on this, and so I was inspired AGAIN! haha. If you'd like to see it: [Here]

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"You're distracting me," Bubblegum had told her. Finals were stressful, there were papers to write, tests to study for; it was all so overwhelming. Late night adventures and tender kisses, while so very, very desirable, didn't get her the grades she needed. Marceline was only in school because her father had insisted, and she only did enough to get by. Her music was more of a priority. As a singer and songwriter, she didn't feel the same pressure Bubblegum did to succeed in college.

Either way, Bubblegum hadn't meant to say it so insensitively, but that's how it came out and Marceline had only smiled. She seemed a bit pleased with herself. Bubblegum found it... _irritating_. But after that moment, she hadn't seen Marceline. It had been two weeks and now, as she passed in her second to last final to her teacher, she felt the weight of all those days drag her heart down to her feet. Had she been too callous? Marceline usually played it so cool, so confident, that Bubblegum had a tendency to forget that the woman had a heart that could be wounded. They'd only been seeing each other casually for a few months now. Bubblegum wondered if Marceline would even bother coming back.

As she walked towards the parking lot, her heart skipped a beat. In the spot where their first real conversation had started, with that question about ogling, Marceline lounged comfortably against her red motorcycle. Her eyes were closed and her face was tilted just a bit toward the sky, as if she were soaking in the sun. Bubblegum could feel the rhythm of her heart pick up. At the sound of Bubblegum's approach, heels hitting pavement, Marceline dropped her chin and their gazes locked. Bubblegum was gifted with the confident smile she found so appealing. Marceline said, "Yo," as if she hadn't been absent for two weeks... As if she hadn't been the reason Bubblegum had trouble sleeping... As if she hadn't been missing those late night adventures and tender kisses...

Unable to convey these thoughts, Bubblegum only returned her greeting with a simple, "Hey."

Marceline stood from her bike and made to pass a helmet to Bubblegum. "Are you finished?" She asked.

"No," was Bubblegum's reply as she took the helmet, "I have one more final tomorrow."

Marceline nodded and reached for her own helmet. "I'll take you home then," she said nonchalantly as she pulled it over her head.

The ride home was comfortable, but frustrating for Bubblegum. She was almost content just to hold Marceline from behind. All seemed right again, but she knew that when she got home they would have to part. And why was Marceline seemingly unaffected by not seeing her for two weeks? They'd only been casually going out for a few months but… did she really not care as much as Bubblegum did? Despite the turmoil inside, she allowed herself to enjoy the feel of her cheek against Marceline's shoulder, the press of her chest against Marceline's back, the feel of her arms wrapped tight around Marceline's waist. It would be over soon, sure, so she was certain to revel while it lasted.

As they pulled up along the side of Bubblegum's house, Marceline killed the engine. Bubblegum climbed off the bike and handed over the spare helmet. She gave her thanks, hovering somewhat as she waited for… what? When Marceline only nodded, she turned to walk away, feeling a little emptier, feeling a lot colder without Marceline's warmth.

A clatter against the sidewalk startled her, but before she could look, she was grabbed by her wrist and spun around. Marceline's eyes burned into hers and she noted that Marceline's helmet was spinning to a wobbly halt on the ground. How did she get off the bike so quickly, so soundlessly?

Bubblegum was pulled into an embrace, squeezed tight, pressed into Marceline's jacket; the scent mixture of Marceline's shampoo and the leather jacket was soothing, almost intoxicating. Bubblegum was losing strength in her knees.

"I'm sorry," Marceline breathed into her neck. She could feel the scrape of Marceline's teeth against her skin as she spoke; it made an unfamiliar heat bloom within her. "I tried to stay away until you were done, but-" she paused, inhaling deeply, and finished, "I wanted to see you."

Bubblegum laughed her relief into the jacket and fisted her hands into the leather at Marceline's back, squeezing tight in return. "I thought you weren't coming back," she mumbled into her shoulder, so very pleased.

Marceline twisted unexpectedly, pinning Bubblegum against the side of the motorcycle. Bubblegum's heart leaped. Gazes meeting, Marceline leaned her head towards Bubblegum just a little, just enough to make Bubblegum's breath catch in anticipation. Her hands pressed into the small of Bubblegum's back, as if she were trying to bring Bubblegum closer than she already was. "How could I not?" she said so softy, so intimately, it was practically a husked whisper.

Overcome with sudden happiness, Bubblegum threw her arms around Marceline's neck and crushed their mouths together. She was glad to have the support of the motorcycle behind her because Marceline's kiss felt like it drained the strength from her body. They were both winded, happy mumbles and shy smiles when they finally parted.

Marceline stood straight, taking her weight off Bubblegum and stepped back. She looked just as breathless and giddy as Bubblegum felt. Marceline glanced away, shy, and rubbed a thumb over the corner of her own mouth; a grin was blooming that showed one of the canines Bubblegum was so oddly fond of. "I should let you get to it, huh?" she said, still too self-conscious to meet Bubblegum's eyes. Their fingers entwined, disagreeing with Marceline's suggestion. Bubblegum was pleased to see this side of Marceline, the usually calm, confident façade cracked.

Bubblegum made a spontaneous decision then, and, while still holding Marceline's hand, she picked up the forgotten helmet. "Mm, no," she said, hiding her own shy smile as she tugged Marceline away from the bike.

Bubblegum enjoyed the red heat creeping into Marceline's face as, for the first time, Bubblegum invited her inside.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Just so you know, she passed her final. 100%. It helps to relieve stress before those things, y'know? Ohohoho. :3

They had coffee and snuggles along with their idle chat. What were _you_ thinking!?

;D


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